1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a game apparatus and in particular to a game apparatus in which a medal or the like is deposited, and the result of the game is determined by the movement thereof.
2. Background Art
Referring to FIG. 15, there is shown a medal game apparatus 100 as is typical in the prior art. This medal game apparatus has two playing positions for two operators, one on the left and one on the right. In each playing position, a falling face 110 is provided. This falling face 110 is a vertical surface and, like a pinball board, is provided with a plurality of pins 110a which extend therefrom for changing the direction of a falling medal. At the bottom of and in front of the falling face 110, a pusher table 103 is provided horizontally for receiving a medal which falls along the falling face 110. Along the falling face, a reciprocating target 102 is provided which reciprocates periodically across the falling face 110. At the bottom of and in front of the pusher table 103, a pusher field 104 is provided which receives medals M which drop from the pusher table 103. In a lower portion of the game apparatus 100, medal ejection pockets 105 are provided. Medal deposit holes 106 are provided above the falling face 110. A liquid crystal display 107 is provided within the central portion of the falling face 110.
In the medal game apparatus having the above-described arrangement, an operator deposits medal M into one of the medal deposit holes 106 and the deposited medal M falls along the falling face 110 due to gravity. As it falls, the medal M comes into contact with the plurality of pins 110a which are provided on the falling face 110, and thereby the falling direction of the medal M is changed. When the reciprocating target 102 is positioned in the path of the thus-falling medal M by chance, the medal M passes through the reciprocating target 102. In the reciprocating target 102, a medal passing sensor is provided which generates a medal detection signal when a medal M passes therethrough. This signal is input to a control circuit which triggers a medal supply mechanism to provide a predetermined number of additional medals M to the upper portion of the falling face 110. There, the additional medals M then fall along the falling face 110 due to gravity similar to the medal which was deposited by the operator via the deposit hole 106.
If a medal M, which is deposited via the deposit hole 106 and falls along the falling face 110, does not enter the reciprocating target 102, the medal falls directly onto the pusher table 103. If a medal M does enter the reciprocating target 102, it subsequently also falls onto the pusher table 103. A medal M, which has thus fallen onto the pusher table 103, then reciprocates together with a periodic reciprocation operation, in the rear direction of FIG. 15, of the pusher table, while the medal M remains on the pusher table 103. When the pusher table 103 moves in the rear direction of the figure, a rear-direction-side portion of the pusher table 103 is received by a table receiving hole which is provided at the bottom of the falling face 110 as the top surface of the pusher table 103 comes into contact with the bottom edge of the falling face 110. When medals M are placed on that portion, the medals are caught by the falling face 110 bottom edge, and thus slide along the pusher table 103, without being received by the table receiving hole. As a result, the medals M on the pusher table 103 are pushed out forward.
As a result of medals M falling along the falling face 110 one by one, many medals M collect on the pusher table 103 and, as a result of their being pushed forward by the above-mentioned forward and backward reciprocation operation of the pusher table 103, some medals M drop off the pusher table 103. The thus-dropping medals M fall onto the pusher field 104. As a result of the pusher table 103 performing the forward and backward reciprocation operation on the pusher field 104, the medals M on the pusher field 104, which are located on the rear direction side, are again pushed forward by the pusher table 103. Accordingly, when many medals M collect on the pusher field 104, this forward and backward movement of the pusher table 103 causes some medals M to drop off the pusher field 104.
The medals, which have thus dropped from the pusher field 104, fall due to gravity along a medal path which is provided inside the apparatus and, as a result, are ejected to the medal ejection pocket 105. The thus-ejected medals are then recovered by the operator located at that place or position.
When a medal M falling along the falling face 110 enters the reciprocating target 102, it is detected by the medal passing sensor and, as a result, a predetermined number of medals M are supplied to the upper portion of the falling face 110. A predetermined presentation program is then displayed on the liquid crystal display 107 in order to clearly indicate to the operator that the medal M has thus entered the reciprocating target 102, and also for increasing the interest of the operator in the game apparatus 100.